Elevating boat seat



June 14, 1960 V. C. BATEMAN, SR., ET AL ELEVATING BOAT SEAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001:. 28, 1957 INVENTORS VA 6'. BATE HAN, 5. VA 6'. BATE MAN, JR.

ATTORNEYS June 14, 1960 v. c. BATEMAN, sR., ETAL 2,940,508

ELEVATING BOAT SEAT Filed Oct. 28, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I W; V I 28 J 35 28 35 FIG. 7 30 30 INVENTORS VAN 6'. BATE HAN, 3R. 6 44 I5 VA 6'. BATE HAN, JR. 7. 7 l7 wu fmmwx.

7'15.- ATTORNEYS United States Patent ELEVATING BOAT SEAT "Van Cleveland Bateman, Sr., and Van Cleveland Bateman, Jr.,vboth of Rte. 4, Box 1067, Pine Bluff, Ark.

Filed Oct. 28, 1957, Ser. No. 692,826

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-88) This invention relates to an improvement in elevated seats and is particularly adapted to small boats of shallow draft employed by fishermen on small lakes and streams.

Most boats of this type have seats which extend between the sides thereof and are disposed at a height of about eight or ten inches above the floor of this boat, and/or located approximately six to eight inches below the gunwales of the boat. It is the purpose of this invention to provide a seat which may be positioned in a boat at the usual or convenient position for operating this boat for rowing'or with a small outboard motor, and at the same time provides means whereby the seat may be elevated to a height above the gunwhales or from sixteen to eighteen inches above this bottom of the boat so that a fisherman is given a better and more comfortable position as in deep sea fishing from the boat.

The invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be more fully set forth. I

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective and in section showing the seat in its lowered or normal position;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the seat in elevated position;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the seat in elevated position;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View of the seat in folded or normal position;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on lines 5-5 of Fig. 4, of the seat in its lowered or folded position;

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on lines 66 of Fig. 4 of the seat in its elevated position; and

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

A conventional small boat 10, is shown, having sides 11 with longitudinal rails 12 along the inner walls thereof, and on which rails may be mounted a rectangular frame or base 14 of a seat, which seat may assume the normal positions common in small boats or it may be moved to an elevated position with respect to its frame and boat.

The seat frame 14 is provided with side bars 15 and end members 16. The side bars 15 each have three grooves or slots formed therein arranged in alignment on the inner surfaces thereof. Grooves or slots 17 and 18 extend from the end members 16, in the side bars 15 to shoulders or stops 19 and 20 respectively providing two elongated guide Ways at each end of the frame 14. Intermediate the grooves 17 and 18 of each side bar 15 is a groove 22. The grooves 22 are arranged in opposed relation providing guide ways, and each groove 22 is provided with shoulders or stops 24, 25 at each end thereof. The grooves 17 and '18 are of substantially the same length and of greater length than the grooves 22, however, the grooves 22 are disposed and extend from 2,940,508 Patented June 14, 1960 approximately the center of the side bars 15 toward the grooves 18.

The seat 26 is provided with two parallel channelshaped members 28 secured thereto and extending lengthwise thereof and disposed so that when the seat is in its normal or lowered position, the channel members will be disposed within the frame 14 and its seat will overlie the side bars 15. Received within the channels of the channel members 28 are three pairs of legs 30, 32 and 34 all of the same length, that is, each channel member 28 has a leg of each pair pivotally connected thereto by a pin 35. Legs 30, and 32 of two pair of legs are held by the same pivot 35, while each leg 34 of the other pair is connected to each channel member 28 by pin 35 at the opposite end of the channel members from the legs 30 and 32.

The upper ends of legs 30 and 32 are recessed to permit the upper ends of the legs to overlap and allow the legs to fit the channel members 28 and be held thereto by a single pin 35. The legs 30 and 34 are so arranged and disposed with their pivotal connections to the seat that when the seat is in its normal lowered position they will swing or be located to project toward the ends 16 of the frame 14 and lie beneath the seat, while the legs 32 will lie beneath the seat within the channels 28 and be projected toward the upper ends of the legs 30 and 34. As shown in Fig. 5 the three legs 30, 32 and 34 along each longitudinal side of the seat will be located within the frame 14.

The pairs of legs 30, 32 and 34 are connected together at their lower ends by shafts 36, 37 and 38, respectively. The shafts 36 and 38 have the ends thereof received in grooves 17 and 18, respectively for connecting the legs to the frame and in which grooves the shafts travel in clevating and lowering the seat 26, while the shaft 37 is received and travels in the grooves 22 of the frame. The channel members 28 are recessed as at 40 to receive and overlie the ends of the shaft 37 when the seat 26 is in its lowered position as shown in Fig. 5, and the shaft 37 is in engagement with its shoulder or stop 25. When the stop 25 engages the shaft 37, the legs 32 will be brought to their horizontal position in the frame 14, and the legs 30 and 34 will be in a similar position extending adjacent to the ends 16 of the frame 14 and centered within the frame.

When the seat is to be elevated to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3, 6 and 7, the seat is pulled or raised vertically, causing the legs 32 to be moved and the shaft 37 thereof to be brought into engagement with the stop 24 of guideway or groove 22. This movement causes legs 34 to be drawn in the same direction as legs 32 by means of the spacer links 41, 41 which connect the shafts 37 and 38 together, and to draw shaft 38 of legs 34 to engage stops 20 of grooves 18 and limiting travel of lower ends of legs 32 and 34 in a horizontal plane. By this action in elevating the seat 26, the legs 32, 34 are swung or pivoted in parallelism to assume an oblique relation with respect to seat and frame 14. This same movement of the seat 26 also causes legs 30 to be drawn against the stops 19 and the legs 30 to assume an oblique angle with respect to seat 26 and frame. A latch bar 42 pivoted to shaft 37 is now swung onto shaft 36 causing shaft 36 to enter notch 43 of bar 42 to lock the several legs and shafts against movement and retain the seat in its elevated position. A plate 44 mounted on links 41 overlies the rear end of latch bar 42 so that the bar overrides the shaft 36 as it is brought into engagement with its stop 19, whereupon the bar is locked to the shaft 36 and retains shaft 37 in engagement with stop 24 and shaft 38 with stop 20.

It is to be noted that the stop 24 for shaft 37 and legs 32 functions as ajfulcrum to control the upward direction of movement of the seat and insuring that the seat is elevated in a perpendicular plane without lateral movement, and when the shafts'36 and 38 are drawn into engagement with their-respective stops 19 and 20Vand bar 42 is locked to shaft' 36 thesea-t is rigidly held, in elevatedtposition; Likewise, when the seat 26.isfto be lowered, and pbar 42 is disengaged from shaft-3,6, shaftr37 isimniediately caused to be movedinto engagement with stop 25 ofgroove22 and insure the legs 303,32, '34 to i assume their proper aligned relationwithin the frame 14.

We claim: 7 7 a "In an elevated seat'comprising a frame having. two

sides each being provided with two setsjof endgrooves along their innersurfaces, and 'intermediategroQVeseX- tending from approximately. the center of said framettoward one of said end grooves,aseat normally positioned adjacent said frame, parallel channelmembersconnected to, and extending, lengthwise of said seat, two end pairs of legs and'an intermediate pair of legs pivotally connected to, said channel members, an upper end of a leg of, each of said pair of legs pivotally connectedto a said channel member, the upper ends ofa said end leg and a said intermediate leg being connected toeach 'of said channel members by a single pivot, said' channel members being of a depth to accommodate a said leg, said 'end.,pairs of legs extending lengthwise of said frame with each pair extending from an opposite end of said frame toward the center thereof, and a said intermediate leg extending lengthwise of the frame and interposed 'between said end pair of legs and Within a said channel member, said end pair of legs having shafts connected thereto at an end thereof and with the ends of said shafts received in said end grooves of said frame, said intermediate, pair of legs having a shaft received in said intermediate grooves, said end grooves being provided with stops at the inner ends thereoffor engagement by said 'leg shaft, said intermediate grooves being provided with stops at each end thereof with one of the stops being approximately at the center'of said frame and the other adjacent the stop at the inner end of one of said and grooves, said shafts and said legs connecting said seat to said frame, said intermediate legs shaft being drawn into engagement with the stop at approximately the center of said frame upon said seat'being moved upwardly by an operator and thereby causing said; end pairsof leg shafts to fulcrum about saidiintermediate legs shaft and stop and to travel in said end grooves into engagement with said stops in said end:g rooves toward said intermediate legs whereupon said end pairs of legs willgassume-opposite oblique; angles with respect 10,,S3id563i; and-said frame, and said intermediate pair of'legswill assume an oblique angle comparable to one of said'endpair of legs, said channel memberslheing provided with recesses for the reception of said intermediate leg shaft when said seat is adjacent said frame, a pair of spaced links for connecting the shafts of said intermediate legs and one I of said end pair toftlegs,,and a bar pivotally connected :at one end to theshaft of said intermediate legs between said links and detachably connected at its other end to the shaft of said other end pair of legs for holding said leg shafts in engagement, with said stops toretainsaid seat in an elevated, position.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 288,179 Great Britain 'Ju1y30,' 1929 

